2002
Winners Announced!

Alabama Public Television received hundreds
of books from children across the state this year for the
Eighth Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators
Contest. The goal of the competition is to encourage children
ages 6 to 9 to be creative and have fun doing it. Each entrant
is required to write and illustrate their own work. Subject
matter may be prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction, and
all illustrations should attempt to complement and enhance
the text. Each grade is judged separately. Parents are encouraged
to help their children create a positive, joint learning
experience, but the overall concepts and text must be the
child's.

The judges were very excited about the quality
of the work they had to choose from this year. It was a
wonderful experience," says Janine Langston of the
Jefferson County Library. "I loved looking at everyone's
good work."

A First Place and an Honorable Mention were
awarded for each grade level, K-3. The winners are:

Kindergarten:
First Place to Brock Dunaway of New Brocton for Big Ears
Honorable Mention to Tayllor Hope Hanson of McCalla for
A Sad Day

First Grade:
First Place to Sarah Grace Tucker of Birmingham for No
Boys Allowed
Honorable Mention - Alivia Malynn Dart of Jasper for Brianna's
Bad Paintings

Second Grade:
First Place - Hayley Suzanne Stewart of Trinity for I
Wish I Had a
Sister
Honorable Mention - Sarah Clancy of Satsuma for Fun at
the Beach

Third Grade:
First Place - Andrea L. Williamson of Hartselle for Angela's
Apple Tree
Honorable Mention - Neil Chakraborti of Tuscaloosa for The
Garage Sale

Each First Place winner will receive a $100
gift certificate from Books-A-Million, statewide sponsor
of the contest, plus Kazoo T-shirts and Kazoo memberships.
Honorable Mention winners will receive $50 gift certificates.
Books-A-Million has sponsored the contest since it began
eight years ago.

All of the children who sent in books for
the contest will receive special certificates of participation
for their work, signed by Reading Rainbow host, LeVar Burton.

The First Place winner's books now progress
to the national level Reading Rainbow judging which will
be done in June. National prizes include computers and Reading
Rainbow videotape libraries for kids and their schools.
Alabama has had three national prize winners during the
past two years of competition.

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